The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is Australia's national transport safety investigator. The ATSB's function is to improve safety and public confidence in the aviation, marine and rail modes of transport. The ATSB is Australia's prime agency for the independent investigation of civil aviation, rail and maritime accidents, incidents and safety deficiencies.

The unmarked area being used as an agricultural airstrip was situated on a narrow ridge aligned north/south. There was high ground to the north and wide deep valleys in all other directions and it was necessary for landings to be made to the north and take-offs to the south. The strip was 365 metres long and it curved 15 degrees to the left at a point 243 metres from the southern end. It sloped down at 2.75 degrees for the first 152 metres and then rose at a 4 degree angle to the loading area which was near level. The central section was about 11 metres wide and the surface of short grass and bare earth was smooth.

The aircraft touched down at about the point where the longitudinal slope changed and in
the long grass to the right of the central section. The aircraft ran parallel to the southern portion of the strip
and the pilot attempted to steer it left into alignment with the northern section. Although the heading of the
aircraft was changed to the left, the wheels skidded on the surface, the path of the aircraft did not change and it
failed to follow the curve of the strip. As the aircraft approached a gully where the ground fell away steeply, the
pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to "go around". The aircraft became airborne at low speed as the
ground fell away but it then descended, struck the steeply sloping ground and overturned. It came to rest at a
level about 100 feet below that of the northern end of the strip.